Few countries denounced the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq more loudly than Australia, which was also one of the first to commit troops to the American-led invasion of the country three years ago. An inquiry that is just hitting its stride in Sydney has uncovered a seamier side to Australia's idealism. While the conservative coalition government, led by John Howard, was calling on Iraq to behave like a respectable international citizen, AWB, the company responsible for selling Australia's wheat, is suspected of paying illegal kickbacks to Mr Hussein's regime to secure contracts under the UN's oil-for-food programme. It is turning into one of Australia's biggest-ever corruption scandals.
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